This invention relates to garment bags, a popular form of travel luggage which generally comprises a main packing compartment for receiving garments on hangars and a carrying strap or handle for carrying this large packing compartment in a folded condition. Usually these garment bags have auxiliary pockets built into and protruding from the outward facing cloth panel (the surface forming the outside of the bag when being carried by its handle or shoulder strap) or on the main access panel opposite from the front panel. The access panel opens wide to permit access to the main packing compartment. These garment bags are easy to pack and easy to unpack. They often permit the traveller to "live out of" the garment bag since a traveller can have ready access to their hanging garments, while keeping them stored in the main packing compartment.
A constant problem for the traveller and one that many have tried to solve with varying degrees of success is the problem of keeping at least the hanging garments neat and relatively unwrinkled. Unlike hard-sided luggage with its rigid shells to protect the garments contained therein, garment bags generally will constrain the garments in a hopefully unwrinkled position. So constrained, the garments can be carried with the hope that the garments will not become rumpled in the process.
One prior art garment bag is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,736,839. Here, the garments are arranged in a bag in the usual fashion, but the access panel constitutes the main or front panel of the garment bag because it has the carrying handle and strap positioned in the middle of this access panel. Accordingly, the user need only arrange the hanging garments in the main packing compartment, close this access panel, and fold the garment bag into the carrying condition by folding the two halves together. This causes the garments on hangers to be folded backward, placing the fronts of the garments in tension and around a fairly large radius defined by the back panel of the bag and garments behind each of the garments at the fold location.
Another garment bag is shown in U.S. Pat. No. Des. 286,230. Here, an auxiliary packing compartment is hung on the outside surface of the main packing door to help the traveller organize the inevitable small items of clothing and travel accessories.
However, none of the prior art garment bags arrange these auxiliary packing compartments in the main hanging garment packing arrangement to help the user to hold the hanging garments in a folded condition to minimize wrinkling, especially wrinkling along the main fold area.